noun.
1. diversion from the doldrums by music, comedy, food, art, or theater
2. entertainment of the cheaper-than-usual variety

Thursday, October 6, 2011

In an Aeroplane Over Wall Street

So remember the Radiohead hoax? How there was supposed to be a concert at Occupy Wall Street? That didn't happen, but Jeff Magnum (Neutral Milk Hotel) showed up Tuesday night to perform an impromptu set of requests. You can watch the whole thing on LiveStream. Even though the visuals are kind of shit, it's definitely worth at least listening to if you need a little beauty in your life.

I love how informal the whole thing is (I guess it's hard to be removed when you're standing in the middle of a crowd, but I'm sure some performers would be). Magnum says, "I'm here cause of you, so just tell me what you want to hear." Between the requests, sing-alongs, and regular banter/conversation/milling about, it seems more like having an insanely talented friend hanging out in your backyard, and less like a concert (except for the fact that it's Jeff fucking Magnum). From the little bit of the scene you can see on the video, it's easy to forget how insane the whole situation is until the end of each song, where the cheers are louder than the visible number of people could produce.